On Second Anniversary of Affordable Care Act, Center for Reproductive Rights Celebrates A Huge Step Forward for Women’s Health and Individual Rights

03.23.12 - Two years ago today, President Barack Obama signed into law the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, and the Obama Administration has since set forth rules that will vastly expand women’s access to copay-free preventive health care—including contraception, cancer screenings, HIV testing, and other essential services.

As protestors gather in Washington, DC and elsewhere to attack the health care law, Center for Reproductive Rights President and CEO Nancy Northup hailed the Affordable Care Act as representing historic progress for women’s health and individual rights.

“The Affordable Care Act and its provisions for copay-free preventive care are the biggest steps forward for women’s health in decades,” said Northup.

“The copay-free contraception benefit alone will prevent unintended pregnancies by the millions and save American taxpayers billions of dollars every year. By broadening access to affordable reproductive health care, it reinforces every woman’s fundamental right to make her own decisions about her family, her future, and her reproductive health.

“Today, as opponents of reproductive rights gather to spread misinformation about the Affordable Care Act’s provisions and seek exemptions that would enable employers to deny the benefits of preventive care to millions, we applaud the Obama Administration’s resolve in standing firm on this great advance for women’s health and individual rights.”

Earlier this month, the Center for Reproductive Rights issued a comprehensive reply to the recent contraception controversy, which takes a closer look at the arguments by opponents of the contraception requirement, unpacks the legal issues and public health debate, and responds to many erroneous assertions.